Posts by Thomas Overmiller
The Unity of God’s People
Psalm 133 begins with this title: “A Song of Ascents [written] by David.” In total, there are fifteen Psalms called “A Song of Ascents” (Psa 120-134). Other names are the Gradual Psalms, Songs of Steps or Pilgrim Songs. Some believe that Jewish people sang these songs as they traveled up the road into Jerusalem to…
Read MoreUnderstanding the Full Scope of Your Calling
In a long, extended sentence, Paul demonstrated how to pray for other believers (Eph 1:15-21). First, he thanked God for those believers who came to mind. He did this “continually,” which means that whenever they came to mind, he prayed for them; and whenever he prayed for them, he did so with an underlying gratefulness…
Read MoreHow the Church Works
Can you guess what my favorite television program was as a child? Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood! I appreciated how he spoke in a gentle, patient manner and focused on thoughtful, reassuring conversations. One of my favorite parts of the program was the occasional trip that he’d take to a factory or store to show how they…
Read MorePraying for an Understanding Spirit
When you’re not sure how to pray for other Christians, you should follow the example of Paul by thanking God for them (Eph 1:15-16). You can also follow his example by asking God to give them a spirit of understanding (Eph 1:17). That is what he did when he “mentioned” them to God in prayer…
Read MoreCan You Do ALL Things?
How many times have you heard someone say this about the word all? “All means ‘all’ and that’s all that all means?” While this is true (the word all does mean “all”), the word all doesn’t always mean every possible thing all at once. While this may seem obvious, we don’t always apply this simple…
Read MoreVisualizing the Church
Having something important to say is like landing a private jet in a jungle. You need a nice long runway to land your plane safely. You don’t want to crash! That’s what Paul is doing in Ephesians. From the start of Ch. 1 to the end of Ch. 2, he prepares the way for an…
Read MoreWhat Does the Bible Say about Pandemics?
The outbreak of the coronavirus disease called COVID-19 has surprised many of us. Yet infectious outbreaks and pandemics are nothing new. They’ve occurred throughout history and the Bible mentions them a lot, especially in the Old Testament (OT). So, what does the Bible say about pandemics? Pestilence English Bible translations frequently translate a related Hebrew…
Read MoreBlind to the Gospel
You may easily lose heart in reaching out to unbelievers with the gospel (2 Cor 4:1). Sometimes this happens because unbelievers respond to you in disappointing ways, rejecting your heartfelt overtures, or responding to your biblical input in an aggressive manner. When this happens, believers may choose to shift towards shrewd or clever methods, adjusting…
Read MoreA Transparent Approach to Gospel Ministry
When you set out to shine the light of the gospel to nonbelievers and believers alike, you may not anticipate the adversity that may come your way as a result. The apostle Paul himself experienced an intense degree adversity to his teaching ministry. His candid response to this adversity provides us with a Christlike example…
Read MoreA Good Evangelism Goal
Paul’s outreach efforts in the first-century city of Ephesus yielded remarkable results, yet Luke did not record these results as a headcount of total converts. He described instead the scope of the surrounding population which had heard the gospel, regardless of how many had believed. Over the course of three years, thousands of people from…
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